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Twinblade
The KA-65 Twinblade is a Soviet gunship in Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. Background Designed for a joint role as a heavy gunship and a heavy transport by the famous Krasna Aerospace, this versatile war machine is sturdy and well armed with two PKX 12.7mm heavy machine guns, and four 60mm Oduvanchik rocket pods. However, its primary function was far more sinister than simple transportation - it was designed to enforce the Union's internationally reviled "zero tolerance" policy towards battlefield deserters, hovering above the battlefield and eliminating troops attempting to flee the front lines (interestingly, according to the Soviet Military Affairs Bureau, the desertions eventually fell to a record 0%, rounding down). In one incident, an entire Twinblade squadron carrying a Soviet Hammer Tank platoon was ambushed and destroyed by a wing of Allied Apollo Fighters, causing the Soviet Union to fervently re-declare war against France, Germany, and Great Britain in a harshly-worded announcement. Cherdenko had just finished his briefing with the Commander and Gregor Zelinsky before the commander was sent to Greece. Suddenly, behind the Soviet Premier, a KA-65 Twinblade's shadow appeared outside one of the balcony windows of the Kremlin. The Soviet leader was surprised and fell onto the floor, from his chair and the Twinblade's machine guns started firing through the window. Cherdenko only suffered a minor head wound, which was bandaged after the Commander returned from Greece. Dasha, the Soviet intelligence officer, asked Premier Cherdenko that if he felt all right, after last night's attempted assassination. Cherdenko presumably had the culprit of the Twinblade arrested and interrogated before unveiling Krukov as the mastermind of the plot, but Krukov turned out to be framed. Abilities Game unit The gunship itself is a sturdy, armoured mainline combat helicopter with three rotors (giving it unparalleled stability and lift), swivel-mounted dual PKX machine guns and four 60mm rocket pods mounted on wing pylons. Its design is considered very Russian by field commanders, in the meaning that it's direct and uncompromising (although the amount of ammunition it carries on board and delicate engineering needed to make it fly make it susceptible to anti-aircraft fire). Soviet commissars are co-pilots on each Twinblade in Soviet service. Twinblade is designed for easy refill, either from its fellow airplane or winched up from the ground. They have foldable compartment to haul up to 5 infantry or Terror drones. The most strategic use is as heavy haulier for Soviet forces. It can haul infantry, tanks, and support vehicles while maintain its speed, providing Soviet with "jumping" element that enable them to deploy leapfrog styled tactic or surprised assault on enemy base from any directions. This capability is somewhat related with its intermesing rotor and dual engine. However, its capability is limited to medium weight vehicle (such as Hammer Tank and the apocalypse tank) and cannot haul extreme weight vehicles such as Assault Destroyer, or MCV. The helicopter does have weaknesses. While brimming with firepower, all of it is directed to the ground, making it a favorite target of Allied Apollo Fighters. Also, vehicles and structures able to fire back from the ground are threats the Twinblade, due to its weak armor and its machine guns' ineffectiveness against armor. Sufficient numbers of Twinblades can compensate for this weakness. Additionally, when carrying important units, the loss of the Twinblade results in the unit's destruction, as well. Assessment Pros * Excellent against both vehicles and infantry * Can carry nearly any vehicle including apocalypse tanks * Can carry up to 5 infantry units or terror drones * Not limited to the number of empty slots on an Airfield * Powerful in numbers * Fast * Never needs to reload * Perhaps the most versatile aircraft unit if used to hit and run * Excellent unit for harassing ore collectors * Perfect commando killer, even against Yuriko * Excellent for defending a base. Especially in taking out ground artillery units. * Groups of them can become a nightmare to any ground unit. Cons * Vulnerable to air superiority fighters * If shot down, the passengers or vehicle it carries is lost too * Slightly costly * Rockets have a slow reload time * Machine guns are useless against anything but infantry and extremely light armored targets * Light armour * Often unloads rockets on infantry instead of conserving them for armored targets * Cannot drop units on water, even if they are amphibious * Cannot carry infantry and a vehicle at the same time Notes from the field Battlefield reconnaissance has revealed at least these facts about the Twinblade: • Bristling with weapons -- Twinblades can overwhelm most terrestrial targets ill-equipped to retaliate against aircraft. Their machine guns may fire continuously without overheating, while their rockets deliver a powerful punch. Twinblades have so many rockets, they never have to resupply in battle. However, the rockets are slow to rearm, so Twinblade pilots tend to favor brutal hit-and-run attacks. • Beware of fighters -- The Twinblade's weapons are squarely aimed at devastating surface threats. As a result, this dangerous helicopter is a favored target for Allied air superiority fighters. The Soviet Military Affairs Bureau strongly recommends that Twinblades always travel with MiG fighter escort. • Passenger room -- Surveys indicate that, when it comes to vehicular combat transportation, Soviet infantry divisions generally prefer flying in a Twinblade cabin under the strict supervision of a commissar to being packed into a KDB-2 Bullfrog and forcefully ejected into the combat zone. • Towing cables -- A remarkable power/mass ratio gives the Twinblade the ability to pick up and tow most other combat vehicles, although the towing system and the passenger compartment use mutually-exclusive systems. This means a Twinblade can airlift a vehicle or some troopers, but not both at once. Quotes Creater *''Twinblade inspection complete!'' Select *''Twinblade!'' *''We have full authority!'' *''In control!'' *''We're watching!'' *''On full alert!'' *''This is our premises''! *''We enforce Soviet will!'' *''What shall it be?!!'' Moving *''Where are those vermin?'' *''Ahh yes!'' *''The orders are clear!'' *''Quickly pilot!'' *''Yes, let's look over there!'' *''Moving now!'' *''Did you see something?'' *''Let's proceed!'' *''We go then!'' Attacking *''Clean up this place!'' *''Fire!'' *''That one, there!'' *''Say goodbye, maggots!'' *''Eliminate them!'' *''Pathetic scum!'' Move to Attack *''What do we have here?'' *''We've spotted them!'' *''Ahh, found them!'' *''There!'' *''We're make it example on that one!'' *''Overtake them!'' *''Ready all weapons!'' *''You may fire when ready!'' In combat *''Don't let them out of your sight!'' *''Do not hold back!'' *''They will not escape!'' *''Remove this litter!'' *''Put them down!'' *''They deserve no quarter!'' Retreating *''We must fall back!'' *''As necessary!'' *''That's enough!'' Under fire *''This insolence will be noted!'' *''They're trying to shoot us down!'' *''This little uprising must be quelled!'' *''How dare they attack me!'' *''We're taking fire!'' Shoot Down *''But I'm a Romanov...!'' *''I've been good...!'' *''DON'T LAUGH AT ME!'' *''Ahhh...!'' Gallery RA3_Twinblade_Ingame.png|In unit profile Twinblade.jpg|Concept art Videos File:C%26C_Red_Alert_3_Twinblade_Surveillance_Footage|Surveillance Footage Trivia * The Twinblade is based on the Soviet Kamov series coaxial helicopters, prefixed KA as well. *The Twinblade resembles the Russian KA-27 Helix for its basic purpose: a transport gunship. Their design resembles both Hammerhead from Tiberium universe (due to their intermeshing rotor) *They also resembles their real-life couterpart MI-24 Hind. Both have similar design and similar purposes (infantry transport and gunship) *In the exclusive walkthrough of the last Soviet mission in an episode of Command School shown only in the Red Alert 3 Premier Edition DVD, it is revealed that, during the early beta phases, the Twinblade had had only one rotor and was named a Hind. Also, during the beta phase, each Twinblade used up an Airfield slot, much like the MiG Fighter. *The pilot does not respond to commands, it is the Gunner that responds, according to one of its responses when it is ordered to move. The same applies to the Cryocopter, where the operator responds. * The Twinblade can carry units up to three times its size. They can carry all of each faction's tier 3 vehicles. They can't carry troops and airlift vehicles at the same time however. * Another RTS game called Tom Clancy's EndWar has a similar unit called the KA-65 "Howler". It is the Russian "gunship" unit that focuses on anti-tank combat. It also has twin rotor blade system. While the Twinblade is based on the Hind in appearance, the Howler is based on the real life KA-52 twin rotor blade helicopter. * The Twinblade is the combination of two real-life Russian helicopters: Mil Mi-24 and Mil Mi-10 The Mil Mi-10 helicopter is a military transport helicopter of flying crane configuration while Mil Mi-24 helicopter is a gunship.The Twinblade is essentially the combination of gunship and military transport helicopter of flying crane configuration. More information on Mil Mi-10 and Mil Mi-24: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mil_Mi-10 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mil_Mi-24 Category:Red Alert 3 Aircraft Category:Red Alert 3 Soviet Arsenal Category:Gunships Category:Red Alert 3 Units with multiple weapon systems